Royal Reflection
by 1Thunderfire
Summary: It's been many years since Dedede took the throne and as the Waddle Dees celebrate his tenth year of reigning, he has to wonder: is he really a good king? Looking at his adventures and incidents in the past, perhaps not then but maybe's he improved in that time?
1. Royal Reflection: Part 1

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **I've done quite a few Kirby stories since I became a big fan of the franchise (and have oddly produced more stories for this than my long-time favourite franchises such as Mario and Pokémon). However, while I've focussed plenty on Kirby and Meta Knight, I haven't done one involving Triple D much. This will now be rectified by having Dedede look back to his past interactions with Kirby and Meta Knight (and of course a bit of Bandana Dee!).**

 **Now before we get to the story, if you're a long-time reviewer of mine, could you possibly do me a favour and tell me if I have some sort of signature style? I believe I must, especially with using flashbacks, but it's easier for other people to pick up on this. It's for my own curiosity more than anything. Many thanks and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Royal Reflection: Part 1**

 _10 years since I took the throne, huh?_

King Dedede, the penguin monarch of Dream Land, watched the party preparations from the balcony with vague interest. _It's a wonder I've managed to stay on this long. I ain't done that great a job as king. Suppose they've only kept me 'cos I've tried doin' good things recently._

 _Gonna be some people wonderin' whether I even deserve this party. I don't even know if I can answer that._

"Great King?"

Dedede turned round and saw Bandana Dee approach with a delicate cup of camomile and honey tea balanced on a silver tray, an example of the king's more sophisticated tastes nowadays.

"Thanks, Bandana," Dedede said, trying to hide a sigh. He took in the fragrant scent before slowly sipping – not too strong and not too hot either.

Honestly, Bandana Dee was one of the best Waddle Dees in his employ; you couldn't get servants like him these days – although saying that somewhat cheapened his services and status as an actual person. Not to mention the other people he supposed. Really, without them, he could hardly be classed as a king now, could he?

Ugh, having a conscience could be a terrible thing at times.

"Are you OK, sire?" Bandana Dee frowned. "You don't appear to be your usual jolly self."

The penguin monarch glanced at Bandana Dee. While being his retainer already gave him a good status, he had risen remarkably high in recent years. His training sessions with Captain Waddle Doo had finally paid off, giving him great skill with a spear and making him pretty much the best fighter within the whole army. He was the kind of person that everyone seemed to like as well, being an approachable, warm sort of fellow. Also, he had considerable influence in having the king's confidence and trust so whenever something needed to be done or was specifically requested, like a pay rise, people often went to Bandana Dee first to see if he could put a good word in the king's ear. Even if the Waddle Dee sometimes brought issues that very much irked the king, Dedede very much liked Bandana Dee. Heck, even Meta Knight liked Bandana Dee or at the very least took him seriously and valued his companionship. Either was a tremendous achievement.

"Am I a good king?" Dedede blurted out suddenly.

Bandana Dee looked surprised at the question. "Uhh…"

"An' don't just say _'of course you are, sire'_. I mean, sure, that would be nice but I don't think it would be the right answer."

Bandana Dee took some time thinking making the king sweat on the spot despite it being a fairly cold day. Dedede fumbled with his gloves and waited for a response.

"Well…" Bandana Dee said finally. "I think you've become a better kind of king if that's what you're thinking. You've become much better at the job and I think there would be many others who'd agree. You've changed a lot."

"Huh? You reckon?" Dedede said thoughtfully. "That's… good to know."

Bandana Dee nodded. "Especially when you think what you were like around the beginning of your reign. Um, if you know what I mean."

Dedede grimaced. "Yeah. I know what you mean."

* * *

Dedede grumbled as he examined the coffers' contents: empty. Just like his stomach. Just like the kitchens.

He sighed. He was supposed to be a king and therefore the most important and powerful person in the place yet he barely got the respect he was undoubtedly due. Frankly, he was embarrassed when he had to meet up with rulers from the other kingdoms for their annual summit – he was quite sure that Queen Sectonia from Floralia joked about him behind his back.

OK, OK, so Dream Land was a landscape of outstanding beauty, had a direct connection to the stars and was Planet Popstar's ultimate source of dreams but what did his little kingdom have to offer really? They didn't have much industry, little in the way of excitement and the people – mainly Cappies and Waddle Dees – were not especially bright if he had to be brutally honest. Neither did Dream Land have what you would call a proper army nor a regiment of knights which, in royal circles, was a particularly bad mark against your standing. At least Dedede had Meta Knight whom he had to admit was worth more than 20 knights. The masked warrior had served the previous king his father and, as was Dedede's right of course, now served him. He often took Meta Knight with him to those international royal meetings as about the only trophy worth displaying. He was mysterious though and he always seemed to be training somewhere. That showed dedication though, right?

But now to the present problem.

The kingdom was very poor and more to the point, Dedede was very poor. The previous king his father had spent money like it was going out of fashion even though there was little of it to begin with. While there were bills and such things to be paid, Dedede couldn't realistically expect his subjects to stump up much extra cash, particularly as they would question what he was spending that money on. Not that they should of course; questioning the monarch should be illegal anyway. Really, the only thing they should be asking was questions like: "What would your Majesty like for lunch today?"

Suddenly, a lightbulb switched on in Dedede's head. Of course! He could take a portion of the people's food as a form of taxation instead! Not only that, it would also solve his problem of feeling starving as he was now. Maybe some non-perishable foodstuffs could be stored as collateral, he could sell some to the other kingdoms but the important thing was that he would also be fed.

Dedede walked onto his balcony and surveyed his kingdom. The sun was beginning to set so now one could easily see the Sparkling Stars in the darkening sky. _Huh, aren't they used to help the citizens find food they don't grow themselves?_ Dedede thought quickly. Hey, maybe he could take those as well and help achieve his goal! He didn't know how they were used exactly, such business obviously being left to the lower people, but he was pretty sure he could figure it out if it would help bring more food, and thus more money, into his coffers.

"Bandana Dee!" the king yelled.

After a couple of minutes, Dedede realised the Waddle Dee couldn't have heard him from out here. _Can't even get the proper servants_ , he moaned as he returned to the castle interiors and rang a bell. The summons were soon answered and before the penguin king stood a young Waddle Dee now panting for breath.

"G-Great K-King!" Bandana Dee gasped. "How m-may I serve you?"

Dedede looked down at the Waddle Dee. Couldn't he even have a slightly more impressive retainer? He'd only picked Bandana Dee because he stood out with his penchant for wearing a blue bandana and had some skill with a spear. One honestly couldn't have the staff these days.

"I need you to get Captain Waddle Doo an' get the army together 'cos we need to gather Dream Land's food an' Sparklin' Stars to solve what I call a little cash flow problem."

He explained the rest of the plan to Bandana Dee whose eyes widened with shock.

"Just… how much food are you planning to take, sire?"

"Well, I done got to support you lot as well," Dedede answered curtly by not really answering. "I ain't gonna eat all the food by myself am I? I'll furnish everyone with the details later. Gonna need my strong soldiers fer this. Oh yeah, I want that there Meta Knight as well."

"He's away training, sire."

"Again?!" Dedede cried. "He don't need to keep trainin'! He's supposed to be here an' wait fer my commands at my beck an' call. He's lucky I don't reprimand him much since he's excellent in a fight." _Also, I ain't got much choice since he's my only proper knight. What's that say about me, huh?_

"Maybe he's not training himself but training someone else?" Bandana Dee offered. "I don't actually see Sir Meta Knight in the training grounds much."

"If he were trainin' anyone from my army, I would know about it. Probably don't like to be seen trainin' by other people; he doesn't even like anyone seein' him without that mask." _Huh, even I haven't seen Meta Knight without that mask. I'll find out what he actually looks like some day; he is supposed to be open with me._ "Anyway, enough talkin'! Get crackin', Bandana!"

"I… uh… don't think the people will like this at all," Bandana Dee mumbled knowing that he could receive a demerit for not obeying his liege's commands straight away.

"They won't like anythin' I do anyway," the king blustered. "They ain't got much choice; I've gotta support this kingdom somehow, especially when you compare it to the others on Popstar. Now I ain't repeatin' myself, Bandana. Get on with it!"

"Y-yes, Great King!"

As Bandana Dee scooted off, Dedede folded his arms and scowled at the paintings of his ancestors in the hallway. Why did they leave him in this situation? Couldn't they have sorted Dream Land's issues out before he became king? Couldn't they have made Dream Land a better sort of kingdom, one he could be proud of?

Dedede stomped away to address his army in the Great Hall. They shouldn't have too many difficulties accomplishing their work. It wasn't as if the kingdom had a hero or anything to stop them anyway.

* * *

"WHAAAAAT?!" Dedede yelled. "There's somebody beatin' the Sparkling Star guardians an' they're makin' their way right here?"

Bandana Dee cringed as Dedede ranted and pleaded with the king that he was only the messenger. He relayed the details he'd been provided with so far.

Dedede had been unable to figure out how to use the Sparkling Stars to his own advantage and so temporarily entrusted them to some chosen beings while he figured out what to do. That hadn't been his only problem either.

As Bandana Dee had said, the people hadn't liked the idea of their food being taken one bit. The concept was understandable to an extent but Dedede had taken far more than his fair share and while the monarch was now well-fed, his people were hungry and hungry people very quickly became angry people. They insisted that he had taken too much but Dedede stuck to his guns and claimed royal prerogative, saying that desperate times called for desperate measures. His army obediently carried out the king's will although notably, Meta Knight wasn't amongst them. He definitely would need disciplining for his abandonment of duty later.

 _Funny. He ain't never done that before._

Anyway, Dedede's bigger problem was that someone had taken back a couple of the Sparkling Stars already from the forest guardian Whispy Woods and the floating beings Lololo and Lalala. Presumably he would then destroy Kabula, Dedede's inherited personal airship, take out Kracko and then finally come for Dedede himself. OK, maybe giving a Sparkling Star to Kracko was a bad idea in hindsight considering the electrical, raging menace it was but if it stopped the storm cloud from disturbing the kingdom for some time, fine. It was impossible to tame otherwise. Surely this person couldn't defeat that.

To Bandana Dee's surprise, his liege gave a mighty laugh.

"It's a pink puffball you say? Cute lil' fella, huh? You sure you ain't makin' this stuff up, Bandana Dee?"

"He has managed to defeat a lot of monsters on the way though," his retainer pointed out, "so I guess he must be pretty tough."

"A sword or a hammer?"

"Uh… I don't think he can use either according to the reports."

"Pffft! What is it, a kid? Is it a Waddle Dee or somethin'?"

"I hear he is supposed to be very young," Bandana Dee said doubtfully, "but he's definitely not a Waddle Dee; we don't come in pink, sire. Maybe he's a Batamon?"

"Better check the citizen records. There should be somethin' in there."

As Bandana Dee went through the files, Dedede thought to himself how amongst other things Dream Land also had a problem with monsters roaming practically everywhere which was why he had an army in the first place (though it was basically just a bunch of half-trained Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos really). The whole of Popstar had this issue truth be told but that was just nature and it was the responsibility of the ruling monarch to protect their citizens against such things. When things got a little much, he did send some of the soldiers to deal with the problem so that the people didn't suffer too much from monster attacks. Those monsters could often attack food supplies as well; all the more reason to gather the food in one place then. Maybe they should have remembered that before they got all angry with him!

 _Have I gone too far maybe?_ Dedede questioned himself. He stood in silent thought for a moment before dismissing it quickly. He wasn't about to change his mind now and apologise. He had to be consistent, he had to show authority; how else was he supposed to demonstrate he was a proper king otherwise?

"Um… it's a bit hard finding the information without a name, sire."

Dedede rolled his eyes. Did he have to do everything himself? "You didn't get a name? My spies could have at least asked for one! I dunno, check under 'Batamon' or 'Pink' or 'Puffball' or something. If it's either of those, it should be under there."

"Um, Great King, it's more correct to refer to the individual as 'he' in this case until we find a name. It's more… kingly."

"I thought you said 'he' was a pink puffball anyway. How can you even tell if it's a male or not?"

"The voice I guess? It's best not to think about it too much, sire."

King Dedede grunted and examined his hammer whilst Bandana Dee continued his work. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

* * *

King Dedede tapped his foot impatiently. He was expecting that fiend any time now. He was waiting in his other castle on a mountain that was obviously his since it had his name on it. Gah, he hated waiting! He wanted to pulverise this pesky puffball to a pulp already and be back in time for a very substantial dinner.

How on earth had that thing managed to defeat his Sparkling Star guardians anyway if he was, as they said, some little kid? (He had to let him pass on Whispy Woods though; it was a stationary tree at the end of the day and why he gave it a Sparkling Star in the first place he had no idea.) What if the thing ended up properly revolting against his rule some day? If the puffball thought it was strong, maybe it would think it was more entitled to the throne than Dedede was! Better put a stop to it now and make sure the puffball knew its place.

At that moment, the door opened to admit a figure in what Dedede considered his fighting arena.

What? ...That was it? The penguin king gawked at the individual, unable to believe that this was the thing uprising against him. Then suddenly, he gave a belly laugh and pointed at the foe with his hammer.

"So! You're the one takin' back the Sparklin' Stars, huh?" he demanded. "Well, I can't let you do that. I'm gonna have to clobber you where you stand!"

The pink puffball, whatever its name was, tilted its head to the side.

"Tryin' to play cool? Nice try, pinky, but it won't work on me. I've got all this food an' you're not gettin' any of it back!"

"Poyo!"

Dedede blinked with confusion. "'Poyo?' Is that some foreign language? Are you even one of my citizens? You some foreigner tryin' to invade my kingdom or somethin'?"

"Poyo?"

Dedede was quickly losing his patience. "Gah! Say somethin' properly ya eejit, whatever your name is!"

The pink creature regarded the strange penguin before him and said: "Kirby!"

"Kirby?" Dedede snorted. "What kinda name is that? Ah, forget it. You want a battle, I'll give you a battle!"

Dedede launched himself forward to grab Kirby and throw him about. At least that was his intention. He moved towards Kirby rather sluggishly as would happen when one is not used to combat, considerably out of shape and has eaten too much rich food too often.

 _Ah, maybe I should cut out on the snacks a little._

Before he could land a blow, Kirby dodged to one side and floated to somewhere behind the king. He frowned as if trying to work out how to defeat his opponent.

"Alright, so you can float about, so what?" Dedede huffed. "I like to have a movin' target!"

Dedede swung his mighty hammer and managed to strike Kirby hard sending him flying against the side of the ring with a loud cry.

"HA!" Dedede crowed as he desperately tried to ignore how soft his target felt and how _young_ that cry sounded. This… Kirby... really was a child. "That all you got? I was expectin' someone a bit better not to mention bigger."

He made to attack Kirby again though his opponent evaded the hammer and this time inhaled a couple of the stars that flew out of the weapon. (This being a planet shaped like star, stars were literally everywhere.) He then spat them straight back at the king who staggered with the unexpected force.

"OK, OK! I let you have that one!" Dedede said while internally wincing. That hurt more than he thought. "No more Mr Nice King!"

The rest of the battle involved Dedede alternating between trying to slam the child into the ground and using his beloved hammer. He caught Kirby a couple of times and made sure to give him a good bruising, nothing major, but more often than not, the pink puffball slipped from his grasp and trapped air in order to float some distance away. He didn't seem to have any particular warrior-like skills and Dedede wondered how he'd made his way across the rest of the kingdom, not knowing of his ability to take substantial energy from food power-ups. What he was able to do though was forever inhale the stars that Dedede couldn't avoid producing without ever getting out of breath and launch them back at him with no small amount of power.

 _What is this Kirby?!_

Dedede was soon panting for breath and though Kirby looked a little winded from the damage he'd already taken, he still had more than enough energy to continue the fight.

"Al-alright…" Dedede panted. "Gonna deliver a massive blow now… Give up already, pinky…"

Large stars flew out of Dedede's hammer as he attempted to smash Kirby into the ground. Kirby squeaked a little, narrowly avoided the attack, but wasted no time gathering up the stars for himself. If Dedede had properly noticed, he might have started laughing at Kirby's bulging cheeks packed with stars though even if he had noticed, it would have been a great error. Kirby spat the shining stars straight back at Dream Land's monarch and Dedede stumbled backwards.

Finally, he fell heavily onto the floor of his own battlefield, unable to get up again.

"I can't… believe it," he mumbled. "How… how did you beat me? You're jus' a stupid kid!"

Kirby came wandering over, looking fairly healthy for one who had just fought several back-to-back battles.

"Wha—? What are you gonna do? Assassinate me? You… you can't!" Dedede gulped heavily. "I'd… I'd be avenged by the whole kingdom!" _Or at least my army. Maybe?_

 _Is… is he gonna swallow me? In there? I'd rather be run through with a sword!_

"DON'T KILL ME!" Dedede wailed.

Kirby curiously prodded the king's robe and again titled his head as Dedede looked at him.

"What… are you doin'?"

Whatever it was, Kirby looked satisfied and, knowing what he had to do next, plucked the last Sparkling Star from Dedede's possession and ran to the storeroom that contained Dream Land's food.

 _That kid's… got some kinda weird power. I guess I better be careful. An' he didn't try to assassinate me or anythin'… but he did humiliate me! I'll have to do somethin' about that._

Before Dedede could consider a fresh plot or whatever, the ground suddenly began shaking violently and to his absolute shock, the castle had been uprooted from its very foundations and was now floating above Dream Land.

"HEY!" Dedede yelled as he struggled to get up. "I let you beat me but that does _not_ give _you_ the _audacity_ to move _my_ castle! You hearin' me, pinky?!"

Dedede's shouts though were in complete vain as from the floating castle, the kingdom's food was returned to the people once more and the Sparkling Stars were restored to the endless skies.


	2. Royal Reflection: Part 2

**Thanks to my usual reviewers Lanny-Sama and Vulaan Kulaas! Your input is always appreciated. ^^**

 **You know, I've never actually played Kirby's Adventure all the way through but then, there's a few Kirby games I haven't played what with coming late to the franchise. I may rectify that in time. But as it is, Kirby Wiki is very much my friend when it comes to research. :)**

* * *

 **Royal Reflection: Part 2**

The tea that Dedede drank tasted bitter in his mouth. Oh, Nova, he was very much ashamed of his old days. How on earth had he thought that taking practically all of the kingdom's food, leaving nothing for the people themselves, was a good idea? It was just as well that Kirby had been rather quick in stopping him and while his opinion of the pink puffball had originally been very negative indeed, one had to admire his tenacity.

He had found a better solution to Dream Land's problems later on of course although it had involved much swallowing of pride on his part. But at least the kingdom was stable and, if not the richest kingdom in the world, then rather prosperous. The stars in Dream Land were a constant source of fascination for the Planet Popstar and, as the greatest source of Warp Stars, it was often that scientific sorts from other kingdoms came here to do research on their properties as well as that of other stars. It had also gained something of a tourism industry in recent times as well, with people admiring its outstanding beauty, not to mention the merit that came from it being the homeland of the hero Kirby. Finally, Dream Land was now in a good position to trade foodstuffs and lots of it, in part thanks to the Sparkling Stars as well as their own improvements. Apples, watermelons and Maxim Tomatoes were the most common things traded. A meal made from Maxim Tomatoes especially was to die for and often commanded high prices in global restaurants. The kingdom was well-off – Dedede could be proud of it.

Dedede looked to the sky where he knew he would later see a crescent-shaped moon. It had been whole a few years ago until that fateful battle with the personification of nightmares himself. Unavoidable of course; nothing could have contained that explosion but it made one wonder whether the moon would be whole once again at some point in the future.

Bandana Dee saw where his liege was looking and said: "It was a good thing you did then, sire, trying to put a stop to Nightmare."

Dedede gave a one-sided smile. "Tryin' being the operative word, Bandana."

"Well, you did contain it and that's the main thing; you just didn't have the raw power to destroy Nightmare completely. That was Kirby's job."

"Kinda wish I thought that more at the time."

* * *

Dedede huffed and gasped. He attempted to pull himself off the floor. OK, he knew he could do this! If he could just push himself that little bit further…

He slumped to the floor again. No good. Maybe a snack break would help…

"Um, Great King? What are you doing?"

Dedede tried to turn to Bandana Dee who was standing perplexed in the doorway and snapped: "What does it look like I'm doin'? An' I didn't call you up here anyway!"

"I heard strange noises from below and I wondered what could have been the cause. It sounded so heavy I was afraid a monster might have invaded the castle."

"I am not fat!" Dedede yelled. "This robe just makes me puffy!"

"Um… I didn't say that, sire."

"Help me up already!"

Bandana Dee obediently helped his large king onto his feet and stood back as Dedede patted himself down.

"In case you're wonderin'," Dedede deigned to explain, "I was trainin' myself to float in the air jus' like that pink puffball."

"You mean Kirby?"

"Yeah, him. Could be real useful some day. It ain't easy but if he can do it, then I can definitely do it, especially if I'm gonna fight him again. An' this time I'll win."

"What makes you think you have to fight him again, sire?"

"I've gotta score to settle," Dedede grumbled.

Dedede moodily drummed his fingers on the windowsill as he thought about the pink puffball that had thwarted him. What right had he to challenge the king?! How on earth had he managed to get through Dream Land, defeat those monsters and defeat him when he didn't have any powers? He must have surely had someone good to train him or something. If Meta Knight had trained him or something then that would explain the skill…

Dedede held onto that thought for an uncomfortable moment then shook his head. Nah, Meta Knight was loyal to him and him alone. There was no way that Meta Knight would have gone behind his back to train his enemy even if he hadn't exactly been his enemy at the time. There had been that strange absence during the Sparkling Stars debacle but Dedede had later been assured that Meta Knight had been strengthening the borders of Dream Land to protect it from monsters and that this would be a great load off the king's mind. That was his duty after all and a knight was not required for such tasks as taking food from people; he was meant to protect them.

Maybe he should ask Meta Knight about that later, just to be sure.

Dedede sighed. He needed to relax a little and if he couldn't do that as king, then what was the point? A little break would do him good. He told as much to Bandana Dee and then declared, with a sudden strike of inspiration, that he was going to the Dream Spring for a while.

Bandana Dee suspected that the king wouldn't treat the place with the respect that it deserved. "B-but the waters are sacred, sire…"

"We're going there anyway, Bandana Dee!"

* * *

Dedede breathed a sigh of relief as he stood by the water's edge and took in the pure air. The Dream Spring, or the Fountain of Dreams as it was often known, was a mystical location in which pleasant dreams flowed like water and spread mist-like across the land to deliver those good dreams as well as collecting the hopes and other dreams of the planet's inhabitants. There was an identical facility on every planet within the Gamble Galaxy and it was Dedede's good luck that Popstar's Fountain of Dreams happened to be within his kingdom Dream Land – in fact, the Fountain's location was the very reason why Dream Land was so-called.

The penguin king gazed at the Star Rod resting on top of the pedestal at the very centre of the Fountain of Dreams. It glowed like the very stars in the sky. Peace emanated from its celestial soul and—

Something was very wrong.

The pedestal was quivering as was the Star Rod. The light around it was sporadically fading in and out, occasionally replaced by waves of darkness. Dedede clutched his head and grimaced as something passed before his waking eyes – a remnant of an old nightmare, a scourge against good dreams.

"G-Great King?" a Waddle Dee stammered. His entourage were feeling the same thing. "Wh-what's happening?"

The Fountain of Dreams was being internally attacked, as if something was trying to emerge from it into Dedede's world. The blackness was now filtering through the air, spoiling the atmosphere's serenity. They were bad dreams in corporeal form, threatening to poison the supply of good dreams to the world. Before their very eyes the blesséd Fountain of Dreams was being corrupted, the good dreams turning to useless dust. What could be causing—?

 _Nightmare!_

The name suddenly entered Dedede's mind. Whether it was remembered from some lesson he had about Popstar's history a long time ago or the very Fountain of Dreams had spoken it to him he didn't know and neither was it important. What was important was that if this figure, this personification of nightmares, escaped from the boundaries it was imprisoned in, good dreams would cease to exist and the planet would be engulfed by endless nightmares. How would people face up to an endless stream of sleeping terrors? Could nightmares possibly come to life? Some people had truly terrifying nightmares – could they cause such utter despair that a desperate person would end their life so they would never face their nightmares again?

Dedede gulped. He honestly couldn't remember being educated about any of this but he felt that the Fountain of Dreams was somehow telling him about this. Or maybe it was Nightmare himself. Either way, he _had_ to do something about it right away. If he took action now and stopped the villainy in its tracks, he would be a hero would he not?

 _I'd be more of a hero than Kirby!_

With his Waddle Dee entourage watching from afar and feeling just as afraid as their king, Dedede nevertheless took it on himself to make his way to the actual Fountain and the Star Rod. Hesitating only a little, he grabbed at the Star Rod and tried yanking it from its position reasoning that if Nightmare was attempting to enter their world through the Star Rod, then without the Star Rod actually there, he could not possibly enter at all and the corruption would cease to spread.

With a final tug, Dedede managed to pull the Star Rod out though he fell backwards into the waters with a loud cry and splash.

"Great King!"

His Waddle Dees congregated around him, chief among them Bandana Dee, all working to pull their monarch out of the waters before his heavy robe could possibly drag him down. Dedede spluttered somewhat but he triumphantly held the Star Rod aloft, knowing that he was doing a good thing. The waking nightmares that tried plaguing them had already vanished.

"We gotta stop this guy from ever gettin' through the Fountain of Dreams," Dedede explained, "an' to do that, we need—" there was a snap and a gasp from the Waddle Dees, "—to break this here Star Rod into a few pieces so there's no way Nightmare can ever break free. We gotta look after them properly though so we better get back to my castle an' find some strong soldiers to hold them fer a while."

"Uh, Great King?" Bandana Dee questioned. "This will stop Nightmare from escaping but it won't actually destroy it, will it?"

"I guess not," Dedede replied. "But I don't think Nightmare can be destroyed; that'd be like tryin' to stop dreams altogether an' there's no way that can happen!"

"But if the Fountain was destroyed, then we wouldn't be able to dream anymore…"

"There's no way the Fountain is gonna get destroyed so ya'll can still dream! But if there's a better solution, you tell me. No? Well, give me a little credit then; I've jus' saved Dream Land an' maybe even the whole of Popstar from havin' bad dreams an' nightmares an' Nightmare himself!"

The Waddle Dees dutifully and enthusiastically applauded their king much to the latter's approval. As they headed towards the vehicles that would take them back to Dedede's castle though, Bandana Dee couldn't help but think that while the plan to stop Nightmare was a good one at a stroke, it could only be a temporary solution and from temporary solutions, there were often consequences.

* * *

"You summoned me, sire?" Meta Knight spoke as he stood before Dedede in the Throne Room. As was his custom, he stood with his cape wrapped wholly around his body and his face hidden by a large, silver mask behind which glowing, yellow eyes could be discerned. Dedede was always slightly unnerved by those unblinking, staring eyes. He reminded himself once again that he was lucky to have such a knight in his service, well-renowned for his skill in combat, and spoke quickly.

"Yeah. Earlier I went to the Fountain of Dreams fer a bit of peace an' quiet an' I was admirin' the surroundin's…"

Meta Knight waited patiently as Dedede waffled on before getting to the main point, keeping certain thoughts about the monarch to himself.

"… An' so that's why I need you to look after a piece of the Star Rod fer me," Dedede finished. "An' will you stop lookin' at me like that, Meta Knight? It's creepy!"

"My apologies, sire. There is no other way I can look at a person."

"Riiiiight," Dedede frowned. "So yeah, I know I can leave it in your capable hands, jus' in case that there pink puffball gets any ideas…"

"Kirby."

"Huh?"

"His name is Kirby, sire."

Dedede waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever. If he does give you trouble, jus' wallop him with that sword of yours. An' speakin' of which, do you have any idea how that boy could have become good at fightin'? He's jus' a kid after all!"

"I imagine he must have great natural skill and possibly a good teacher to guide him. I doubt he would have learnt such things on his own."

"Well," Dedede muttered, "he's my enemy an' anyone helpin' him must be my enemy as well. He's a threat to my royal standin' an' authority!"

"You believe so?"

"Of course I believe so!" the king snapped. "But at least he ain't got that much power since he's only able to swallow stuff an' spit them back."

Meta Knight's eyes flickered and unseen behind his mask was a slight smirk.

"What's that? Your eyes changed colour fer a moment."

"I was thinking about your opponent, sire, and how he will need testing."

"Absolutely does he need testin'; he's testin' me!" Dedede declared. "Right, well, here's the piece of the Star Rod an' you get back to your station. An' if he does come, you go an' test him fer me!"

"I will make sure your orders are carried out exactly, sire."

Meta Knight soon walked away carrying a piece of the Star Rod and Dedede metaphorically patted himself on the back for a job well done. He had performed an admirable deed, he told himself. He was being heroic! He had given pieces of the Star Rod to certain individuals whilst keeping the final piece to himself as a means of security. All he needed to do was now wait. Hopefully, a permanent solution would present itself; he was sure of that.

* * *

Dedede woke up the next day feeling unusually groggy. Living in Dream Land usually guaranteed an excellent sleep owing to the Fountain of Dreams. He'd stopped Nightmare from escaping hadn't he? What gave?

"Hey, Bandana Dee," the king called that morning. "Get me a strong coffee would you? I didn't sleep so well last night. What is it?" he frowned as he saw the Waddle Dee thinking to himself.

"You didn't sleep well? That's strange. I didn't sleep well either. In fact, none of the Waddle Dees slept well at all. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the people in this kingdom had a good sleep. Pardon me for the personal question but did you dream at all last night?"

"Now wait a minute," Dedede said angrily, "jus' what are you—?"

Dedede stopped. Come to think of it, he didn't have any dreams last night at all and in Dream Land, this was an extremely unusual occurrence, one to be very concerned about. Without dreams, one could not seem to sleep properly even if the content of the dreams themselves were usually forgotten. Dreams could be a load of nonsense yet at other times, they held deep meaning. There was much study devoted to the science of dreams yet even so, they remained a great mystery.

"No, I guess not," he answered. "I was probably too tired to even dream after all that trainin' I'm doin' to make myself float in the sky."

"Um, the Star Rod helps us dream doesn't it?" Bandana Dee said. "But if the Star Rod isn't in its pedestal and it's all broken up, then it can't give us dreams since the Fountain of Dreams can't actually spread good dreams about."

"You said dreams too many times, Bandana Dee," Dedede mumbled. He then thoughtfully stroked his chin. "It might be best if I stick around the Fountain of Dreams fer a while. Nightmare could possibly try to escape from it even with the Star Rod broken up. Maybe I can keep an eye on it an' somehow stop the corruption from spreadin' even further. An' besides, I could do with a bath."

Bandana Dee nodded his approval at his king going back to the Fountain of Dreams to protect it and by extension, the people's dreams, until the last point was mentioned. "W-wait, what? Y-you're going to bathe in the waters there?"

"Well, what else am I gonna do?" Dedede shrugged. "I sure ain't havin' a read while hangin' around."

"But you can't do that, sire!" Bandana Dee exclaimed, looking very much distressed.

"Why not?"

"Because, because, it's just not the done thing! The waters are sacred because they allow us to dream and have a good night's sleep. You can't just go bathing in them!"

"Huh, doesn't seem that much of a good reason. I've done my good deed an' I wanna be rewarded fer it. It's not as if the waters are gonna be affected by me havin' a swim in there anyway."

Bandana Dee suddenly had a mental image of Dedede invading everyone's dreams and manically waving to them as he floated about on a rubber ring wearing nothing but swimming trunks. He shuddered.

"Better get the ol' limo started up while I get me some food. I'm gonna think hard about how to get rid of that there Nightmare, OK?"

"Yes, Great King," Bandana Dee sighed. As he picked up the car keys and exited the castle, he wondered if Kirby would step up to the plate and help restore the Star Rod and the Fountain of Dreams to their pure state once again.

* * *

Dedede yawned. Lounging in the sacred waters of the Fountain of Dreams was a tiring business. He had tried considering solutions on how to destroy Nightmare for good but nothing was coming to mind. Perhaps the idea would come to him better if he actually did some proper administering of the kingdom?

He vaguely cast a glance over at the fountain pedestal. There appeared to be no change since he removed the Star Rod which he was obviously thankful for. Yet he knew that this situation could not remain so if people were left unable to dream. It had been what? Four or five days? The king needed a good sleep at the best of times and without having even a single dream in that time, he was feeling especially cranky.

He was about to take another sip from his juice when he heard a sudden noise. He cried as he flailed about in his rubber ring before getting himself upright. To his shock, he saw a certain pink intruder glaring at him.

"Dedede!"

The penguin king spluttered. How dare that pink thing use his name without his proper title?! He hoisted himself out of the water and stepped onto land, picking up the hammer he had left there just in case. "How did you even make it here?" Dedede exclaimed. "There's no way you could have got past all my soldiers an' got back all the Star Rod pieces. There's no way you could have defeated Meta Knight! He must have let you win!" _But… why would he do that?_

Kirby tapped his head and Dedede belatedly realised that what he was pointing to was a hat. He also had what appeared to be a simple wand.

"So you got some headgear. So what?"

Dedede jumped back in alarm as Kirby released a beam of electricity from the wand, crackling the very air. The boy gave a slight smile; this was the very first Copy Ability he had learnt. But of course, he would need to learn how to draw more power out of this ability as well as that of his many others, not to mention Sword. Especially Sword. There had been a great insistence on that.

"New tricks?" Dedede said, trying to hide his shock. "W-well, I've got me some new tricks too an' I'm gonna pulverise you 'cos you can't put the Star Rod back together. WHOA!"

Dedede didn't get much chance to talk further as Kirby initiated the battle by attacking his opponent with an electrified beam whip, jolting Dedede quite heavily much to the latter's surprise. Angered by this, Dedede bodily slammed into Kirby and saw the… ability or whatever it was fly out of Kirby shaped like a star.

 _Huh, so it ain't permanent then_ , Dedede thought with satisfaction. At least until Kirby inhaled the star and repossessed Beam. _Jus' gonna have to knock him harder an' destroy that star._

Dedede took in a giant lungful of air and floated into the sky. He took great pleasure in seeing his enemy looking astonished and in that moment of weakness, plummeted down onto Kirby.

Kirby cried with the heavy weight of King Dedede crushing him and before he could get away, the king picked him up and threw him to the side. Then, before Kirby could recover, Dedede with his own inhale ability, sucked Kirby up and spat him back out again. The star once again was ejected although Kirby instantly dashed over to retrieve it.

Wanting the battle over with, Dedede attempted to strike Kirby with his hammer but was then repeatedly zapped with Kirby's Beam. Grimacing against the pain but also feeling again that spark of guilt when the young child that was Kirby cried out, he nevertheless went toe-to-toe with his opponent and this time managed to destroy the little star that held the ability.

"HA! Whaddya make of that? Oh, wait…"

Kirby didn't waste time mourning the loss of his ability and instead went with the option that defeated Dedede last time: inhaling stars then spitting them back with greater force than before.

"YOW! YOW! YOW!"

Each star thudded heavily into the king and after a brief moment of exchanging blows, Kirby gained the upper hand and once again, Dedede crashed into the ground defeated.

"Owwww…" Dedede moaned. "This is jus' humiliatin'… How… how can you beat me? How did you… get those powers?" _What is Kirby? How is this even possible?_

"You stole Star Rod!" Kirby said angrily as he rummaged about in Dedede's pockets, searching for the final piece. Exhausted, Dedede couldn't do much to stop him.

 _Speakin' a bit more at least._ "H-hey! I didn't steal the Star Rod! I were doin' a good deed!" He couldn't help but flinch though when Kirby looked at him unusually angry, an expression that was rare to see on the young child. He then noticed the shadows under Kirby's eyes; he too was exhausted and Dedede remembered that Kirby would have needed to do an awful lot of fighting just to get here with each and every piece. "I, uh, guess you haven't… been sleepin' neither. But you got the wrong idea; I had… good reasons to break the Star Rod!"

Kirby ignored Dedede and eventually found the final part of the Star Rod. He took a moment piecing the sections together while Dedede sat up and got his breath back.

"Don't do it," he gasped. "I'm warnin' you…"

Kirby fixed the Star Rod and sought the Fountain of Dreams' pedestal. In a final desperate attempt, Dedede flung himself on Kirby forcing the pink puffball to drag the king behind him as he walked.

"Don't do it!" Dedede yelped. "You're gonna release somethin' bad!"

"Get off me!"

"I mean it!"

Eventually, a frustrated Kirby shook Dedede off him and planted the Star Rod back in its rightful place. He expected the miasma to clear and everything turn back to normal. He wondered why on earth Dedede would do such a thing and how the king could possibly be so selfish. He definitely needed teaching a proper lesson.

Unfortunately, the sky darkened and, pocked with blood-red streaks of cloud, it soon resembled a nightmarish landscape. The earth shook tremendously as a dark power slowly emerged from the Fountain of Dreams. From it a dark sphere patterned with silver stars manifested and filled the atmosphere with a terrible sense of darkness and fear. The two rivals stood there, feeling that crushing atmosphere invade their very being, sending their hearts racing. Then slowly, the sphere, the Power Orb, drifted upwards toward the upper atmosphere of the planet and from there it would begin to spread corruption and an overwhelming power of darkness.

Dedede turned to Kirby and said: "Ya eejit! You released Nightmare! That's what I'd been tryin' to stop! That's why I broke the Star Rod!"

"Huh?" Kirby looked distressed, as if the plan should have been obvious to him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

 _Why didn't I tell Kirby?_ Dedede thought. _Maybe… maybe I thought I could deal with it on my own, that he would somehow ruin things._

 _Guess I ain't got much choice but to get Kirby to defeat Nightmare. I haven't got power fer that but… maybe he does._

Dedede shook his head. "Pick up that Star Rod an' I'll get you up there. You're gonna have to stop Nightmare before it's too late!"

Unsure of what Dedede was now planning, Kirby nevertheless picked up the Star Rod. To his sudden shock, Dedede then inhaled Kirby and, presumably with the power of the Star Rod, ejected Kirby and sent him flying far up into the skies where he would then duel with the evil wizard Nightmare.

 _You beat Nightmare fer me, alright Kirby? I… I don't want to see Dream Land engulfed in darkness. It needs protectin' but I can't do that._

 _Save us, Kirby… won't you?_


	3. Royal Reflection: Part 3

**Thanks for the reviews and PMs, guys. May I take the moment to say that in the last few months, I've been feeling very low because of my inability to get a full-time job despite having two degrees and meeting failure after failure, and that in that time, your words on all my stories cheered me up when I needed them the most. So thank you. I have now actually achieved my goal (but will lose my one decent writing place sadly) but I always look forward to seeing your warm words. So thanks once again. Here's Part 3. :)**

* * *

 **Royal Reflection: Part 3**

Dedede leant on the balcony, surveying the happenings in the courtyard below, mulling to himself. The Nightmare problem could have perhaps been dealt with much quicker if he had informed Kirby at the time the exact reasons as to why the Star Rod was broken. Then at least, they would have all been prepared. But of course, that simply couldn't have happened then; Dedede had regarded Kirby as an enemy, a nuisance whose strange and sometimes frightening powers appeared to threaten Dedede's royal position. Kirby had the respect of the entirety of Dream Land, not to mention that of lands beyond as well for his valiant deeds in battle. Dedede probably didn't even have the respect of his castle attendants.

Well, perhaps he wasn't too sure about that. They were really going to town with the whole celebratory business, putting up an astonishing array of banners, balloons, party poppers and any other pieces that happened to be connected with celebrations. Even the Dedede statues had party hats perched on top.

Feeling the need to check things out, Dedede decided to head back inside for some time with Bandana Dee following close behind, carrying the tea tray. The king nodded approval where he was required to (much to the relief of his staff) and continued on his way, deep down wondering whether they were doing too much for him. It wasn't as if he was the true hero of Dream Land after all, much as he would have loved that to be true, right?

Still, at least the castle appeared to have been spruced up giving him a better castle more befitting not only his station but that of his royal visitors when he occasionally received them.

Dedede patted one of the old walls fondly, barely noticing that Bandana Dee was still with him. This castle had seen some things in its time; it was a wonder the old place was still standing. It had been uprooted from its very foundations more than once. One time, it had been taken over by dark forces themselves and lifted up into darkened skies where the very rainbows had been shattered into countless pieces. If only he could have stopped that. If only he hadn't been taken over himself. More than once in fact.

"Um, Great King?" Bandana Dee piped up, seeing his liege still staring at the wall.

"Jus' thinkin' Bandana," Dedede said heavily. "You know, when Dark Matter invaded."

"Oh." Bandana Dee knew what his king meant. "Right."

"Where were you at that time anyway?" the king suddenly questioned.

"Um, I think was on annual leave then," Bandana Dee hesitated. "Both times as a matter of fact."

"Yeah, an' I guess I must have sent Meta Knight on a mission or somethin' on the other side of Popstar or he would have definitely got involved in the Dark Matter business. He wouldn't have left somethin' so serious to Kirby alone."

Dedede sighed and looked into shadows as dark as that eldritch creature had been. Would he experience something like that again at some point in the future?

* * *

"Wonder where that pink puffball is now?" Dedede grumbled as he picked at the merlons of his castle walls.

People tried not to say it in front of him but he had heard all right; how people were praising Kirby as Dream Land's saviour in their time of need despite not looking very much like a hero at all. Sure, he'd destroyed Nightmare, that being who would have engulfed Dream Land, and indeed Popstar, in endless sleeping terrors, but honestly, they forgot that it was their king who had prevented Nightmare from escaping at all in the first place with little to go off but his own intuition. Surely that was deserving of praise. But no, that Kirby was lapping up all the attention and admiration! And he still didn't know who or what he was really. Come to think of it, no-one really did. Who was Kirby? He doubted even Kirby knew himself and even if he did, he wasn't going to ask.

If Kirby had done anything for Dedede though, it was convincing the king that he needed to train himself. He wasn't going to go at it like Meta Knight of course; he was absolutely crazy about training, but some hours here and there, keep his new floating ability up to standard, maybe improve his hammer techniques. Maybe he could fight Kirby again but with less… animosity. Maybe build a new arena.

As Dedede thought, he didn't notice at first a dark, swirling hole appear in the sky like a rip in the fabric of space itself and an equally dark substance manifesting out of it. Suddenly he shivered as the hole grew larger, feeling a change in the atmosphere. Not physical no, but something else entirely, something deeper, something… evil.

Dedede looked up and gasped as the entity was now almost completely formed. He hadn't a clue what it was but clearly… it wasn't anything good.

The screams and panic-stricken cries then started when the castle inhabitants suddenly noticed what was going on in the sky. A few of the Waddle Dees, including Bandana Dee, ran up to their king asking what was going on and what they should do.

This was what responsibility meant, Dedede had thought.

"Get everyone outta here immediately," Dedede ordered. "Jus' get everyone away as far as possible. That thing ain't safe an' I dunno what it's gonna do. What ya'll still standin' about fer? Get goin' now!"

The Waddle Dees jumped with fright but quickly pulled themselves together and gathered as many people as possible with Dedede putting his loud voice to good use, making sure that absolutely everyone got the message. As he ran about, he glanced out of the windows once or twice and now saw the hole crackling with lightning bolts and spewing out black mist in all directions, looking like the very nature of chaos itself. And still the thing was forming.

Dedede gulped. He found himself holding his hammer though he couldn't remember going up to his chambers to grab it. He continued the evacuation process, seeing all the Cappies and Waddle Dees flee through the main doors over the drawbridge to some place, any place. The storm was gathering and he could feel the atmosphere grow ever heavier.

"I guess that's all…" Dedede said softly when the stream of people ended. He felt himself shaking like a leaf and the hammer slipping from his now suddenly sweaty palms. Each breath came out in painful gasps and he felt himself rooted to the spot. He knew he had to move and that he could not go with the others.

"Great King! Everyone's gone; we must go too!"

Dedede dropped his hammer on his foot with a mighty yell. Bandana Dee peered behind the great door, his eyes wide with terror.

"Your Majesty! You must flee as well! The car's prepared; we're just waiting for you!"

Dedede shook his head. Now he could feel the castle rumbling beneath his feet. Dust fell down from the quivering rafters. His throat felt painfully dry as he spoke with barely more than a whisper. "I've gotta stay here, Bandana. Someone's… gotta take care of things. An' that someone… is me."

Bandana Dee danced on the spot, desperate to go yet unwilling to leave his liege behind. "Please come! There's nothing you can do!"

Dedede forced himself to grip his hammer tighter. "I don't know what I can do but I gotta try. You get away from here, Bandana. I don't want you mixed up in this."

"But—"

"Jus' go!" Dedede yelled, his voice nevertheless cracking. "That's an order!"

Bandana Dee looked pained but he had been given a direct command and he didn't want to disobey his king now. He finally fled, leaving the king alone in a slowly blackening castle.

Dedede stood still for the longest time, unsure of what to do and what he just did. Then, all of a sudden, the castle foundations were violently ripped from the ground, throwing Dedede onto the hard floor. The castle began edging its way to the upper reaches of the sky and into what would become a dark void.

Dedede hastily scrambled onto his feet and, with more desperation than bravery, began to head up the long staircase, having no idea what he would meet. Already he could see the effect the dark essence was having on his castle: the walls were pierced with deadly spikes, formless monsters oozed out of the puddles of blackness creating Efreeti, and everything pleasant and homely began to dissolve and were replaced by terrible, twisting shadows ready to engulf the unsuspecting.

The sky was now almost completely black apart from strange pale clouds swirling with unknown energy. Dedede tried to ignore the changes to his beloved castle as he continued upwards until he finally reached the upmost floor. Somehow, he knew the monster would be waiting here.

Taking a deep breath, he placed a gloved hand on the door handle. He didn't push it down, only thinking that he, he alone was now being forced to deal with this… this thing.

 _Where's Kirby when ya need him, huh?_ he thought ruefully. He grimaced and tried to push the handle down again. _No, I should be able to deal with this; I'm Dream Land's king, it's my job to look after it, it's my responsibility. If anyone's gonna be the hero round here, it's me. I'll sort this out. They'll all praise me then, they'll respect me then, they'll love me then. I've trained ain't I? I… I can do this._

The wind whistled through the nooks and crannies, the only sound other than Dedede's heavy breathing.

 _It… would be nice to have some help though. Could have at least had Meta Knight here. Guess I shouldn't have sent him away when I did. Guess I'm here on my own._

He felt his heart hammering violently, a thumping pain blossoming within.

 _Did Kirby feel like this when he faced Nightmare? When he faced… me?_

Everything was screaming at him to run even though he knew it was now too late.

 _Kirby wouldn't be able to deal with this; he's too young. I should be able to confront this here monster. Me._

Everything was churning inside. He felt ready to violently throw up.

 _I don't need him. I don't need anyone._

Before he could change his mind, Dedede threw open the door and felt cold air smack him in the face. He raised his hammer and squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn't see what was going to happen to him.

There was nothing there.

From his position of security by the doorway, Dedede tried to scan the open-air environment exposed to the elements. It was a long, wide bridge leading to a tower, another section of his castle. Maybe the monster was there?

Still nothing.

He then took several cautious steps, feeling so tense he might explode. His footsteps, he realised, were making not a single sound. He looked again to the sky and saw yet more blackness only this time, he also noticed something else. Something sparkling. Something fading. Something broken.

The Rainbow Bridges, he realised, the bright and wonderful constructs that connected the Rainbow Islands to one another, the beautiful environments that wove themselves into the already fantastic tapestry of Dream Land's landscapes, were gone. They were shattered into oblivion, struck by an awesome power from a figure of doom. The rainbow shards even now were plummeting to the earth to be lost to the wastes, not to be formed again by ordinary hands. There was nothing Dedede could do. Nothing at all.

The king threw up over the bridge with terror.

Dedede shakily wiped his mouth and felt ridiculously glad that no-one had seen him do that just then even though there was no-one about. Then he wished there was someone about because that would at least provide an explanation as to why his castle had been lifted in the sky surrounded by little but darkness with the Rainbow Bridges destroyed.

He took a deep breath and almost screamed: "I know you're out there somewhere! Show yourself, already! I'm King Dedede of Dream Land an' I'm gonna bring you down!"

— **Greeted by a king himself? We are privileged indeed.—**

Dedede instantly froze. The sound of the wind seemed to vanish. There was nothing between them. He forced himself to slowly turn around and behold his adversary.

It was a representation of the entity of evil itself, a mere single part of a whole. Dedede could feel the malevolent forces pouring out of the being yet he wasn't able to step away. He thought it was a mere legend, some stupid story. Later in life, he would come to realise that legends had a habit of becoming true in the land of dreams on a planet shaped like a symbolic star.

"D-D-D…"

— **We are Dark Matter Blade.—**

The words seemed to pass straight into Dedede's mind, no sound required. He tried to speak but no words came out. Dedede swallowed and tried again. "What are you doin' here? What's your purpose?"

— **Our purpose is to serve our king and our king's purpose is not your concern. But for now, we would like to learn more about the inhabitants of this land and planet.—**

Dedede jumped back sharply as Dark Matter Blade moved forwards. Its laugh was as one distorted by electronic interference and all the more chilling for it.

— **Afraid.—** It was not a question. **—We have recognised this emotion before in lesser beings. Emotions are wasteful, inefficient, and meaningless, don't you think? You could have attacked us rationally and logically yet here you stand whimpering, snivelling, trembling.—**

Dedede found himself unable to respond to that.

— **But you are important, a position of authority. We shall require your services and you will provide them.—**

Dark Matter Blade launched itself against Dedede again who to his credit, managed to knock away the foe once with his hammer. He stood more upright and glared with determination.

— **Pitiful.—**

This time, Dark Matter Blade went straight through the weapon and into Dedede's body. He screamed violently and shaking terribly, collapsed onto the hard, stone bridge, fighting against the internal force now ravaging him, searching his mind, ripping through memories until it found what it sought, a darkness now spreading through him.

— **A useful puppet king—** Dark Matter Blade laughed. **—Appropriate for our king's operations. Be proud. You will finally be useful at last.—**

Dedede struggled to find the strength as everything turned black, as agony tore at his insides, but he nevertheless managed to whisper: "K…K…Kirby will… defeat you. He'll…"

— **The entity we saw in your mind is but a child. It cannot defeat the forces of Dark Matter. This star will break and fall. Our king will make sure of that.—**

Then, with a final scream, everything went black.

* * *

Snatches. Something odd. Little bits of sound. What? Where? Something… familiar…

Power. Dark power flowed. He moved dream-like, seeing nothing, hearing little, feeling something.

"…you!"

A furious blow. What strength. This was power. Their king was most gracious.

"…help…!"

An opening eye. A rush of air. Something moving him.

"AAAHHH!"

A blast of energy. Darkness coursing like blood.

"…won't… no… you!"

A sudden strike. Terrible pain.

— **This body is weak. That is the only explanation.—**

Waking… fading once more…

* * *

"Hey, King Dedede, please wake up! You're OK!"

Dream Land's monarch opened bleary eyes and saw several figures crowd round him; not his Waddle Dees but strange creatures from the forest, friends of Kirby's.

 _Wait, Kirby!_

"Oh… you look awful," said the weird sphere, staring at him with round eyes.

"That means he's back to normal then," another creature, some rodent thing, snickered.

"H-hey…" Dedede mumbled weakly.

He tried to sit upright but was prevented from doing so. He realised someone had placed a cushion behind his head.

"Best lie down for a while," the owl said, one of reason. "You took quite a nasty beating from Kirby."

"Muh? Didn't do it…" Dedede mumbled.

"Um, he was fighting you because you had this Dark Matter stuff inside you," another creature, some blue thing, explained. "Don't you remember, your Majesty?"

What had he been doing? Was he still at the castle? His vision cleared somewhat and now he could see the figures better: an assortment of animal friends and the spherical thing, all friends with Kirby. But if they were here then Kirby was here and if they were here then that surely meant it was safe for them to be here.

"There was this… dark thing," Dedede tried to explain. "I tried to fight it but…"

"It overpowered you," said the owl, Coo, kindly.

"I stood no chance against it," Dedede muttered bitterly. He rubbed his banging head and groaned at the horrible pain in his stomach. He tried to keep the bile down. "Doubt I lasted seconds against it."

"Well, at least you tried, your Majesty," said the hamster Rick.

At least he tried. He could have run away he supposed. Maybe that was the best he was going to get. Maybe that was the best he could do. It was better than nothing. At least everyone else had got out. He struggled to his feet despite the protests of his body. "Where's Kirby?"

"He's up in the sky fighting that thing," said the fish Kine fretfully.

Dedede looked upwards but all he could see were a couple of specks and something shimmering like a very small rainbow. As minutes passed however, he realised they were getting bigger.

"What… will happen if Kirby doesn't defeat Dark Matter Blade before they both reach the earth?" Dedede had to ask.

No-one said anything. To say what could possibly happen would be akin to making it happen.

"Dark Matter Blade…" the spherical creature, Gooey, hesitated. "It's part of a number of Dark Matters that work for Master Zero. No… just Zero. They want to snuff out light where they can and take over the stars, anything that represents the opposite of what they are. And if Kirby… _when_ Kirby defeats Dark Matter Blade, Zero will know. Zero might send someone else or even come himself. He might want to destroy Kirby."

Dedede eyed Gooey suspiciously. "Oh yeah. You were a part of Dark Matter once weren't you?"

Gooey gave a tiny smile. "I guess I was made wrong."

Kirby and Dark Matter Blade were now coming closer and the object that Kirby was wielding, the Rainbow Sword, shone brightly.

"I wish… I could have done somethin' more," Dedede sighed.

Coo shrugged. "Don't we all?"

Far above, Dark Matter Blade screamed and the Rainbow Sword shone ever more brightly, forcing the watchers below to shield their eyes. Kirby was falling, Dark Matter Blade was falling. Kirby then floated somewhere in mid-air with the sword streaming rainbows, ready to create new bridges, to connect the Rainbow Islands once again.

The hero dispelled the dark sky and Dark Castle, Dedede's castle, began to slowly return to the earth with the evil shadows that had infected the place now rapidly vanishing, dissolving into nothingness.

All Dedede could do was watch.

* * *

— **Master, please forgive us…—**

— _ **There are many more like you. I have no use for failures. You served your purpose at least and that will be enough for now. But you will die.—**_

— **Master, please spare us!—**

— _ **Die alone.—**_

— **Please spare me!—**

— _ **Die suffering.—**_

— **Master! This Kirby, he—**

— _ **Will die by my force. As will you.—**_

Dark Matter Blade was granted the power of emotions for the first and last time. The pain was intense, the pain was excruciating, the pain made Dark Matter Blade want to die.

Dark Matter Blade welcomed the release.

The release… was freedom.

* * *

Dedede felt his heart pounding hard but this time he was able to face the entity before him in the eye. He held his hammer although deep down, he knew it was going to be as useless as the last time. But if he could stall it somehow…

And no-one else was around at least. That was an achievement on its own.

There was no Rainbow Sword this time but another weapon would appear. He did not know what it was but he was sure of it.

— **Your fear is less… than we anticipated.—**

"I'm still scared if that helps anythin'," Dedede spoke, "but maybe that's because I've been through this before." Dedede took a deep breath. "An' there ain't much I can do about it."

— **The rings of the planet have already been destroyed. The entire planet will soon be swallowed in darkness.—**

Dedede attempted to sound brave. "Maybe you'll get destroyed."

— **Master Zero will take care of matters.—**

The only thing Dedede could do was hope for the best. "As king, I'm gonna make you wish you never came to Dream Land or Popstar!"

Dedede launched forwards with his hammer even though he already knew what the result would be.


	4. Royal Reflection: Part 4

**I actually wrote this one before Part 3 and I guess it will be the last thing I upload in my old workplace. (I'm happy to have got a job relating to my degree but I'm sad to be leaving at the same time.) And one of these days, maybe I'll actually own _Kirby Super Star Ultra_. I've played the original a bit but only at my Retro Games Club and there's plenty of other games to play there as well. ^^ Hope you like!**

* * *

 **Royal Reflection: Part 4**

What a life he had, Dedede thought. It was almost as if the universe was still continuing to punish him for his behaviour during the early parts of his reign. Maybe if he could wish on a Nova to stop such incidents happening to him? Bah, it would probably be impossible even for that clockwork construct. Maybe it was all character-building anyway. He couldn't deny those Dark Matter incidents had had that effect on him.

It was just as well Kirby had his powers considering the number of times he had saved Dream Land, Popstar and Dedede himself with them. And from the beginning, he had been trained by one of Dream Land's, nay Popstar's finest warriors, Meta Knight.

Meta Knight. Honestly, Dedede thought not for the first time, if he had helped develop Kirby's fighting skills and Copy Ability since the Sparkling Stars incident as he since realised, why hadn't he informed Kirby of the reason why Dedede had taken the Star Rod in the first place? After all, he had informed Meta Knight of the actual reason and entrusted him with one of the Star Rod pieces and since he had been training Kirby at the time, he could have simply given the reason then. Maybe it had been part of the training? Maybe Meta Knight wanted to keep his mentor role hidden for a little longer and didn't mention the information in case Kirby blabbed the source to the king? Whatever it was, the gamble had been a pretty dangerous one. And the whole Dark Matter thing? He never did get a full answer on that. But Dedede had long since known that he was never going to work out the inner workings of Meta Knight's mind and that wasn't going to change any time soon either.

Speaking of which, Dedede leant over; he could see the masked warrior now, strolling into the hall, surveying the Waddle Dees and their preparations. At one point he appeared to stop and converse with Captain Waddle Doo over some issue. Technically, Meta Knight should not have been able to come in and out of the castle as he pleased but as Dedede ruefully noted, what authority did he have over the masked warrior?

"Suppose he's talkin' about trainin' or somethin'," Dedede grumbled, "though he ought to consult with me more when it comes to changes in my army."

"You kinda did allow Sir Meta Knight free rein over that matter," Bandana Dee reminded him. "I think you said at the time that the army was full of weaklings who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag or the army was full of idiots or something and that you'd chuck us all off a cliff if we didn't improve any time soon."

"I did?" Dedede grimaced. "Maybe that was a little harsh…"

"No, no, we did need some good training otherwise we'd be steamrolled by every other kingdom," his retainer assured him, "and since we get a lot of monsters in Dream Land, we do need to be able to deal with them. And I certainly learnt a lot from Sir Meta Knight! OK, so he could be _really_ harsh during all the training and stuff but he said I had potential so you know, it had to be done."

"Yeah," Dedede agreed vaguely. "He's a great knight."

Dedede watched from afar and sighed. "Wonder if he would have officially stayed in my service if I'd been a better kind of king?"

* * *

"Great King!" Bandana Dee exclaimed as he checked the castle cameras. "Kirby made it here! W-what do we do?!"

Despite the great services Kirby had performed not only to the kingdom and planet but also to Dedede personally (for who else would have saved the king from his unfortunate possession more than once?), he still wanted to test the young warrior, a petty vengeance for the times that he had been humiliated. This time, he had stolen the food from Kirby's house (he wasn't going to try the whole kingdom food-stealing stunt again) and with that, he knew Kirby would absolutely come to the castle. On the way, Kirby would have to deal with the servants King Dedede sent out to fight him. The king thought it would be a good idea to have Kirby fight his army and thus help train them ahead of the real threats they would undoubtedly face. But revenge was the most important thing.

Dedede thought that all the enemies he'd thrown at the pink puffball would tire him out and thus stop him in his tracks but no, he was still coming to the castle and for a moment, Dedede had a panic attack until Bandana Dee calmed him down. Could anyone beat this guy?!

It appeared that he would have to fight Kirby himself after all and while the idea that he would win seemed preposterous, he had been training extra hard. Oh yes, he'd been training hard. He had enlisted Meta Knight's assistance for this and had even taken a leaf out of the latter's book and crafted a mask which he would don when the time came to reveal his new strength.

As he considered Meta Knight though, a series of troubling thoughts came to the king. Recently, he was sure that the knight's behaviour was somewhat different to normal. He still performed whatever tasks were required of him, yes, but there always seemed to be some sort of reluctance. More than once he had questioned the king's intentions whereas before he carried out his duties with no questions asked. He was never openly in disagreement but he had certainly disapproved of the king's actions concerning the food and Sparkling Stars. There were certain liberties being taken as well; requests for various equipment and parts, that kind of thing, which were apparently for the intention of better protecting Dream Land.

Dedede had said no to all but the absolute cheapest options: did Meta Knight think he was made of money? He was a knight; he should just be out there protecting Dream Land and doing his duties like a good little knight should! And when Dedede ever spoke ill of Kirby, Meta Knight was always quick to speak in the pink puffball's defence. Was there that same level of loyalty anymore? A knight was supposed to be loyal to his liege, was he not?

Well, at least Bandana Dee was definitely loyal. He was loyal no matter what.

 _We're done fer,_ Dedede internally sighed. _Only one option._ "O-OK then," the king said somewhat reluctantly. "I guess it's your turn."

"B-but, Great King!" Bandana Dee squeaked, horrified at Dedede's intentions. "I can't do it alone!"

 _Who am I kiddin'? There's no way Bandana could even stand a chance against Kirby. He don't deserve that._ "...Fine," he said. "You can go. You've been spared."

"Don't go, King!" Bandana Dee cried.

 _I guess he is concerned about me a lot. Maybe I should give him a pay rise after all. Haha, me givin' pay rises._ Dedede shrugged and picked up his secret weapon. _Well, if this doesn't pay off, that's it. Kirby will have beaten me fer good._

"I'll-I'll slow Kirby down for a bit so you have more time to prepare, Great King!" Bandana Dee declared. And before Dedede could stop him, despite repeating that he was spared, Bandana Dee dashed out of the room and made ready to face his opponent with more bravery than skill.

"You… didn't have to do that," Dedede mumbled.

Bandana Dee. And his other Waddle Dees. And his other minions too. Perhaps… it was time that he appreciated them properly. For what reason were they loyal to him? Was it out of a sense of duty alone? Or something else entirely?

 _Maybe I'm doin' a fair kinda job in runnin' the kingdom nowadays. But I ought to; it's my responsibility. An' I'm gonna have to get better at that. I don't want anythin' bad happenin' to these guys. An' maybe this thing with Kirby has been nothin' but a massive mistake._

Dedede glanced at his new and improved hammer and the mask he had made to go alongside it. He shook his head. He couldn't back down now; not when everyone else had given their all, as Bandana Dee was no doubt right now giving his all too. He could have viewed the battle on his security camera system but he felt that he'd rather not, giving the Waddle Dee at least some sort of dignity in his fruitless attempt to hold Kirby back. He could only hope that Kirby hadn't been too hard on all the enemies that he had faced.

 _He is supposed to be a hero after all, ain't he?_

King Dedede made his way to his personal arena and set in place a hammer for Kirby to collect so that they could fight on more or less equal terms, another leaf he had taken out of Meta Knight's book. He sat in nervous wait for a while before he heard a set of familiar steps and saw Kirby step through the door.

"You made it here…" Dedede said. _Well, of course he would, the things he's faced before._ "Now arm yourself!"

Kirby gave Dedede a look for a long moment. Then, thinking that he might as well just get it over with, shed his current Copy Ability (in this case, Spark), and copied the hammer left out for him.

 _An' jus' like that he now knows how to properly fight with a hammer. How does he even do that? I guess no amount of trainin' on my part is gonna give me the skills he's got._

"Our grudge will be settled at last," the king continued.

"Our grudge?"

Dedede ignored Kirby's sound of confusion and said: "Meet my powerful secret weapon… the brand-new Dedede Hammer!"

Kirby flinched as Dedede suddenly jumped into the arena wearing a strange mask and carrying what appeared to be a rocket-powered hammer. Not far above him and to the side was an electric fence ringing them in. He didn't have much space to float here although as the king had been doing some serious training, chances were he wouldn't get much time to do that considering the slowness of the move.

"What did you do with Bandana Dee?" the king suddenly asked.

"I swallowed him and then spat him back out," Kirby said. "It seemed the best thing to do since Bandana was adamant he was going to help you out. He's OK."

"You could have hurt him!" Dedede snapped.

Kirby narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather have me used one of my abilities instead? He's my friend too."

Dedede didn't answer that. _At least Bandana's OK. He's a good guy. I still should have stopped him though._

"You ready, Kirby?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," the pink puffball replied.

Kirby didn't look scared. Hell, he didn't even look all that concerned about the impending battle. Dedede gave an angry glare; was Kirby even serious about this? Had he just gone through all the obstacles and traps the king laid out for him as if they were nothing? As if it was just another day for him?

 _Well, yeah. I'm hardly a threat against him, am I?_

With that thought, Dedede wasted no time in engaging Kirby in combat and mightily swung his hammer. A wave of electricity streamed out of it coursing straight through Kirby who cried with the unexpected pain.

 _See? I have power too. I can land a blow on you too._

Kirby recovered quickly and met Dedede's next blow with his own hammer, swinging upwards, knocking the attack to the side. He evaded Dedede's swinging attack by carefully floating above him just before contact was made while remaining just before the crackling fence above. Without hesitation, while Dedede was vulnerable with dizziness, Kirby brought the hammer down on the king who yelled with both pain and anger.

"I'll get you!"

The two effectively danced around one another, waiting for the opportunity to deliver a good, solid attack. With Dedede actually putting serious effort into training in recent years, he was much faster and stronger than before. His attacks had serious weight behind them and he was no longer as slow and lumbering as he used to be (even if he did still have, regrettably, a rather large belly). Unfortunately for Dedede however, Kirby had also been training and he wasn't about to go easy on the king.

"Hey, pipsqueak! You wanna land that hammer on me? Well, I'll land my new an' improved hammer on you!"

 _I should have got Meta Knight to deal with him,_ Dedede grumbled as the two fought. _But I bet he would have found some way to wangle outta that. Gonna have to speak with him about this insubordination. Who'd have thought it?_

Putting that thought to one side, as the two furiously clashed, Dedede grinned with satisfaction at the physical challenge and the opportunity of trading blows with Dream Land's young hero. But… he'd set this entire thing up in his quest for revenge, right? So why did he find himself enjoying the battle?

Maybe, he thought, as he managed to dodge at the last second Kirby thudding into him, he liked the idea of having Kirby as an opponent because their rivalry provided excitement in the king's life. Maybe it gave him a sense of purpose in life when he often found himself lost and wondering whether he was doing the right thing for his kingdom because for all its faults, he knew that he needed to look after it. Maybe, deep down, he respected Kirby and was grateful for all that he had done so far and would possibly do in the future. Maybe he even liked Kirby.

But… he still had to try and prove himself one more time. He was a king and a king needed to show his power!

"Go, Great King!" came a voice from the far side of the room.

Dedede heard and to his relief saw Bandana Dee sitting in the stands looking none the worse for wear. Kirby had obviously told the truth then. Well, of course he would. And even though Bandana Dee could have just returned to his room at this point knowing that he had at least tried to help his monarch out, he had come back to the arena anyway, cheering his liege on.

 _OK, I'll give Bandana that pay rise. He sure deserves it._

It was with no small amount of satisfaction that Dedede managed to wail on Kirby several times who, despite having the knowledge granted to him by his Copy Ability, was clearly not as used to the hammer as he was with the sword considering his usual sparring partner. Nevertheless, Kirby gripped his hammer more tightly and began an extended assault on Dedede, striking him several times in a row. With great determination, he struck the king heavily even as the latter pounded him with his spinning attack once more. However, it was impossible for Dedede to keep his own attacks up just as it was impossible for him to ever truly match Kirby in the fighting field.

Dedede knew that he was going to be defeated before Kirby even landed that final blow on him, just as he'd been defeated those other times.

"I don't have a grudge against you, Dedede," Kirby said before striking the hammer home.

Dedede stopped in his tracks and in that moment, was struck hard and sent flying from his castle out of the ring, out of the battle, out of his depth when it came to challenging the hero of Dream Land.

* * *

It had been a long trudge back to the castle; goodness knows how Kirby had managed to smash him that far although all things considered, Dedede was fairly unscathed by the match; just exhausted. He was however, genuinely pleased and touched by the fact that his Waddle Dee entourage had gone out to find him in the wilderness and provide him company and security during the trek home.

Dedede provided them with shelter and food true, and such simple provisions often made Waddle Dees highly loyal to their employers no matter their personalities. But did he deserve such loyalty Dedede wondered? He was the king after all but perhaps he hadn't always behaved in such a kingly fashion? Challenging Dream Land's hero to a vigorous trial and deadly duel had not been done for the kingdom's sake or anything like that after all; it had merely been done as part of his extended campaign and grudge against Kirby. Was he jealous still? Even after the boy had saved him on more than one occasion?

Yet despite all this, Kirby didn't appear to grudge Dedede in turn. He didn't seem to particularly view Dedede as an enemy; more one who had often been caught up in unfortunate circumstances which was then Kirby's responsibility to try and solve as it was in his power to do so. Today had practically just been a series of training exercises for the hero; Dedede doubted that he himself would have been able to take that kind of punishment for sure.

"Nearly home now, Great King," Bandana Dee announced with false cheeriness, both to break his liege's silence and to brighten his mood a little. Oddly enough, the king hadn't questioned how Bandana Dee had managed to arrive at his side so quickly though it was probably just as well; he wasn't sure how the king would take it if he mentioned that Kirby had given him a lift on his Warp Star when he asked for the favour. "When we get back, I can instruct the kitchens to make your favourite dish if you wish."

"Yeah," Dedede said heavily. "That'd be great."

"And we'll get that hole in the roof fixed in double quick time!"

"Swell."

"And we could arrange the spa to be set up and then—"

"OK, OK, I get it, Bandana!" Dedede cried. "Jus' let me think already!" Dedede moodily stomped on for some distance before mumbling: "Uhh… sorry I snapped at you, Bandana; I know you're tryin' to help. I'm jus' a bit mad, that's all."

"With Kirby?"

"Dunno. Maybe I'm mad with me."

"Oh, OK…"

"I dunno how to put it," the king sighed, "but I've jus' got a lot of thinkin' to do. Woulda been great if you brought the car mind… but I suppose the walk will do me good," he added before the Waddle Dee could apologise profusely for this oversight.

When Dedede and his entourage arrived back at the castle, he thanked them all for their support and praised them for their good work in general. The Waddle Dees, upon being excused, all walked off rather happily at the unexpected compliments except Bandana Dee whom the king asked to stay behind and follow him to his private quarters. Then, looking furtively to the side for a moment as if he didn't want this exchange to be seen despite the privacy of their location, Dedede handed Bandana Dee an envelope.

"Open it."

Rather worried about its contents, Bandana Dee tentatively opened it up and with a shock, found exactly what it contained.

"Um… is this really for me?" the Waddle Dee wondered.

"Well, I wouldn't have given it to ya otherwise would I?"

"I-I don't know what to say… this is rather a lot…"

"Yeah, I know. Don't remind me."

"Um, well… th-thank you, Great King!"

"Don't mention it. Seriously though, don't mention it. If word gets out, everyone else will also be askin' fer a little favour an' I ain't puttin' myself into poverty fer that. Besides, it wouldn't be much of a reward otherwise if everyone else got the same thing, right?"

Bandana Dee nodded and gave a little smile.

"Right. Well, then. You can go an' join the rest of the Waddle Dees then. If they ask what I wanted you fer, jus' say I was discussin' secret plans with you or somethin'."

"O-OK. Um, thank you again, Great King. I'll, uh, just head to the dorms then."

With that, Bandana Dee gave a small bow and went from the room unable to believe his good fortune.

Dedede slumped into his chair and let out a heavy breath. What a long day it had been. Kirby had defeated him once again and without words made it clear that he was just too powerful for the king to take on. Dedede simply could not win. Not that it stopped a monarch from trying, right?

At least something good came out of it, Dedede supposed. For all that had happened, the Waddle Dees were still loyal to him. Maybe it was time to appreciate the Waddle Dees more. They were likely the only people around here actually truly loyal to him. He had helped them before during the dark times when the castle was invaded but still. Dedede sighed. A king without loyalty wasn't much of a king at all. He wasn't even sure if Meta Knight was truly loyal to him anymore…

* * *

He was right to have that assumption.

Dedede read the letter again unable to believe its words.

"Whaddya mean you're resignin'?"

"It means I am leaving and will no longer remain in your employ. I thought my letter made that clear."

"You can't leave!" Dedede cried. "You're my sworn knight!"

"Then I am unsworn."

"No. I refuse to allow it. You ain't leavin'."

Meta Knight's eyes flashed. "You cannot keep me here against my will."

"I am the king, Meta Knight. You forget your place."

"I know my place clearly," Meta Knight spoke icily, "and it is not by your side. I am not a trophy to be displayed before others when you see fit. I am not even a trophy that you earned fairly. I was merely _inherited._ You display me before royalty as if I was a pet or a prize you rightfully won though I am less concerned about that than your governance of the kingdom. I have stayed for so long because previously no other alternative appeared to me. But certain actions on your part have constantly forced my hand and I cannot stand by any longer."

"Whaddya mean by that?" Dedede asked coldly. "Don't tell me this is about the Sparklin' Stars? That were ages ago!"

"Not just about the Sparkling Stars although it was the pivotal event that sent my apprentice out into the world."

"Your apprentice? Wait…" Meta Knight rolled his eyes waiting for the penny to drop. "Kirby?!"

"Evidently."

Dedede was aghast. His knight, _his knight_ , was the one who had trained Kirby?! "You… you…" He couldn't even think of the words to express his anguish at Meta Knight's betrayal. _"Why?"_

"If you're asking why I trained Kirby, then it's because Kirby has the innate power and skills needed to protect Dream Land and indeed the whole of Popstar for it is obvious that the land needs protecting from evil threats."

"Trainin'! He could only spit stars when the Sparklin' Stars were taken."

"You say that as if you were not the one to take them for yourself."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't answer my point!"

"Kirby's Copy Ability had not developed by that point and under normal circumstances, I would not have sent him out so soon but your actions threatened the entire kingdom. On the other hand, I suppose it provided good training for Kirby before he fought and will continue fight far stronger enemies than yourself."

"So then I guess that's the reason why you jus' let Kirby sail on by with the Sparklin' Star piece," Dedede noted bitterly.

"Oh no, I did fight Kirby. It would not do to just let Kirby have an easy ride of it and the only way he can improve his skills is if he is forced to test them in combat."

"An' he jus' happens to be so good that he happened to beat you, the best knight in the land?" Dedede drawled.

"I may have held back a little considering I knew what was lying ahead," Meta Knight admitted. "But at least I have ensured over the years that Kirby's strength as a warrior has continued to grow. Something I think you ought to be grateful for considering your predicaments. But ah, no, you must continue to fight him like an ungrateful, petulant child."

Dedede's eyes narrowed and he scrunched the letter in his hand. "Whether you're in my service or not, I am still your king an' you can't speak to me that way. I could have you arrested fer treason."

"For speaking the truth? One may think that this reflects once more your paranoia that someone will seize your throne. Perhaps they have good cause to."

"I've only overlooked your actions because you're good at what you do but this? I never thought you of all people would break your oath to me, Meta Knight."

Dedede flinched when Meta Knight suddenly laughed, a most uncharacteristic sound indeed.

"On the contrary, I have not broken my oath at all. My oath dictates that I protect the kingdom. I protect Dream Land from whatever happens to be threatening it and you, _King_ Dedede, have threatened the kingdom more than once. True, my oath suggests that I protect you but that does not extend to continuing to protect the king if he represents a threat to society. Protecting the people and land takes greater precedence. Improving the people and land, following a code of honour, also takes a part in my oath which I will uphold. And that is what I shall do."

Dedede folded his arms. "Jus' what are you plannin'?"

Meta Knight let his cape take the form of wings. "You have seen my Halberd, correct?"

* * *

"KIRBY! PLEASE HELP ME!"

Kirby opened the door to his house before it was unceremoniously bashed in and saw a desperate-looking Dedede on his doorstep.

"Meta Knight's gone crazy!" Dedede gabbled before Kirby could ask what was going on. "He wants to take over the kingdom with his Halberd an' throw me off my throne. He said somethin' about endin' Dream Land's corruption or endin' its lazy lifestyle or somethin'. I'm worried he's gonna do somethin' extreme an' I can't do anythin' to stop him."

Kirby's eyes were wide as Dedede continued the rest of his explanation. Would… would Meta Knight really go so far?

"He… he might listen to you," Dedede mumbled. "I know he's your mentor so maybe you could go to him an' maybe stop him. You're the only one who could stop Meta Knight. Please, Kirby, I'm beggin' you!" And for the first time in his life, Dedede went down on his knees and begged.

"O-OK," Kirby said after a while, disturbed by the king's behaviour. "I don't like it but… I'll try. I guess I'll have to chase down the Halberd. Don't worry Dedede, I've got this."

With that, Kirby pulled out his trusty Warp Star and, with only slight hesitation, hopped on and took off into the atmosphere.

"Thanks, Kirby," Dedede said softly once the pink puffball was a speck in the sky. "You'll be fine. Everythin' will be fine. Right?"

And once more, Dedede felt helpless. There was nothing more he could do but return home and think over what he could potentially lose.


End file.
